[theophile]

In addition to Movies and TV Shows, I'd like to be able to list and view home movies in XBMC. Obviously, this can easily be done from the Videos menu available in many skins by simply adding the directory containing the videos as a source.

My real question is presentation-related. I would prefer to have the videos listed chronologically rather than alphabetically. However, there is not a way to do this that I can see. The only alternative would be to name the files in such a way that they are displayed chronologically. So if a video was taken on October 22, 2008 at 2:26 PM, it would have to have a filename like:

10222008-1426.mkv

This would arrange the filenames chronologically, but now the titles are useless if the user is browsing for specific content. What I'd really like to be able to do is have the files arranged this way, but display human-readable titles.

Is there currently a way to do this? Will .nfo files be used in a non-library context? Thanks!!

[sho]

Unfortunately not.

The best I can suggest until we find a dev who is willing to implement a generic nfo content type / scraper is to use the Music Videos Section for this purpose (if you are not using i already).
It has a generic nfo scraper option.

[theophile]

Okay, this should be ok. I would have to create an .nfo file with the same name (but different extension) as every video file in the directory, yes? And since I only really need to specify a title and maybe plot, it can be as simple as:

Code:

<musicvideo>
        <title>Robert's First Day</title>
        <runtime>3:20</runtime>
        <plot>Robert is born and family visits him in the hospital.</plot>
    </musicvideo>

There is a <year> field for music videos. Does the <aired> tag from the TV Episode .nfo format work in music videos? Would that given me more control over the chronology? If not, can I have the video file list display Titles but sort by filename?

Thanks!

[Maxim]

It would seem to me that the same infrastructure you're looking for is already there in the Library function for Videos. Only instead of grabbing the info from the web, allow a user to edit the information manually. Replace a few words like Cast, and Studio, with People, and Location. Change the word Thumbs to Pictures, and add in stills from the Video, or the photos taken on the Vacation, or whatever the video might be.

Seems plausible, and editing this stuff from the user interface is a lot easier than writing nfo files. Also all the information would be start in the DB.

[sho]

Well, not in addition to Movies or TV Shows, this approach would replace one or the other. (or at least mix the Home Videos with Movies, or TV shows in the case of user generated soap operas).

Regarding the tags question, I do not know. A dev or someone able to comb the code will have to answer that.
All I know is what is in the Wiki already:
http://wiki.xbmc.org/?title=Import_-_Exp...sic_Videos

[fekker]

In addition to Movies and TV Shows, I'd like to be able to list and view home movies in XBMC. Obviously, this can easily be done from the Videos menu available in many skins by simply adding the directory containing the videos as a source.

My real question is presentation-related. I would prefer to have the videos listed chronologically rather than alphabetically. However, there is not a way to do this that I can see. The only alternative would be to name the files in such a way that they are displayed chronologically. So if a video was taken on October 22, 2008 at 2:26 PM, it would have to have a filename like:

10222008-1426.mkv

This would arrange the filenames chronologically, but now the titles are useless if the user is browsing for specific content. What I'd really like to be able to do is have the files arranged this way, but display human-readable titles.

Is there currently a way to do this? Will .nfo files be used in a non-library context? Thanks!!

Here's the idea I had for home videos
Considered a movie, shows up in library
using movie.nfo .. movie.tbn and fanart.jpg
each movie in it's own folder is required
modify the displayed name to sort however ya like when it's played back
genre's and such could be added to support the home video side of things.. although Drama fits mine most of mine just fine
Plot summary - Jr. gets arrested stealing booze
Plot Outline - Another great weekend for the kid, arrested stealing booze and picking up a .... etc.

[theophile]

Here's the idea I had for home videos
Considered a movie, shows up in library
using movie.nfo .. movie.tbn and fanart.jpg
each movie in it's own folder is required
modify the displayed name to sort however ya like when it's played back
genre's and such could be added to support the home video side of things.. although Drama fits mine most of mine just fine
Plot summary - Jr. gets arrested stealing booze
Plot Outline - Another great weekend for the kid, arrested stealing booze and picking up a .... etc.

So a separate folder for every single video file? Why would that be necessary? I'm wondering whether sticking it in the TV Shows section wouldn't be a better idea. This allows the metadata to be more specific by including days (rather than just years). I'm also wondering whether there's a field for "air time" or something that could be used to further pinpoint the video data. Is there a list of all tags the TV Show .nfo scraper can interpret?

If there is a solution that will let me specify Title, Description, Date, and Time, and let me sort chronologically, that would be exactly what I'm looking for.

[sho]

Have you tried having a full date in the year field for movies or music videos?

Edit:
Looking at a music video xml nfo file on my comp, probably created with one of the various helper programs out there, <aired></aired> seems to be a valid tag.

[Maxim]

I just found this application which states in the Description that it has a possibility of supporting Home Movies. You could probably manage your home movies just like the movies are done but edit the info from the backend instead of in the interface.

Check it out: http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=41129

[avnishb]

I have several home videos that I want to show up in a seperate folder other than movies in Video Library. I want it to show up in a folder something like "Home Videos".
This way I will be able to keep the Video Library clean by keeping the movies seperate from Home Videos. I have spent several hours of my day searching this forum but all of them point me to putting these files under movies section with the help of nfo files.

Is it possible to create a seperate folder for home videos in the video library and how?

[avnishb]

I have several home videos that I want to show up in a seperate folder other than movies in Video Library. I want it to show up in a folder something like "Home Videos".
This way I will be able to keep the Video Library clean by keeping the movies seperate from Home Videos. I have spent several hours of my day searching this forum but all of them point me to putting these files under movies section with the help of nfo files.

Is it possible to create a seperate folder for home videos in the video library and how?

Anybody have any suggestion to that ?

[sho]

Did you read the thread?

[avnishb]

I did read the entire thread and nothing points to what I have requested. Can you please read my request again and see if that is a possibility ? Any suggestion would be of great help ....

[InDashMP3]

just carrying over the question from another thread I started (didn't see this one first)

Still looking for some guidance..

I have a NAS that is partitioned as such:

F: Movies
G: Music
H: Photos
I: Home Movies
J: TV Shows

The Movies, Music, Photos, and TV Shows are no-brainers. I add them as appropriate sources, and turn on Library mode...works great. But, what do I do with my Home Movies partition? If I say the content source is "Movies", that doesn't help. None of my home videos have yet made it to IMDB!

[theophile]

I don't think the "Music Videos" section is going to work for this. Even when putting the full date in the tag in the .nfo, the scanner only picks up the year. The scanner also does not pick up the <aired> tag.

At this point, I'm willing to use something other than XBMC to do the job "right." I don't want to have to plan my entire home movies library around a series of XBMC hacks.

Does anyone know of a video library application that can store/sort files by date and time?